1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a test apparatus for semiconductor integrated circuits (hereinafter referred to as the "ICs"), and more particularly to an apparatus for automatically testing ICs mounted on a tray, sorting the ICs after test and collecting the same in other trays.
2. Description of the Related Art
An IC handler is frequently used as a test apparatus to automatically supply ICs which are assembled and received in cases to a test section, check whether the respective ICs are acceptable, and sort them. The IC handlers are of a tray type or of a stick type when they are classed according to how to supply ICs. The stick type IC handler has a stick constituting an elongated supporter which holds a row of ICs. The ICs are supplied one by one to a test section by their own weight by inclining the stick, on one hand, and by means of an intermittent delivery mechanism, on the other hand. The tested ICs are sorted into accepted ICs, unaccepted ICs and ICs to be tested again, for example, and received by sorted trays. The tray type IC handler has a robot arm provided with a pickup unit for picking up ICs loaded on a plate-like tray. The ICs are, one by one, transported to the test section by means of the robot arm, and, after test they are loaded on the sorted IC trays by means of the robot arm in the same manner a in the stick type IC handler.
With the stick type IC handler, the leads of each IC are moved up and down by contacting with the inner wall of the stick, causing the leads to be deformed and thus to be jammed. This results in the generation of erroneous signals in the test section and the clogging of ICs in a transport passage while being transported. With the tray type IC handler, the leads of ICs are less jammed than with the stick type tray handler, but a wide space for admitting sorted IC trays is required, rendering the floor space of the handler large.